A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to over three years in prison after pretending to be a wheelchair user to steal beer from a Sainsbury’s supermarket, then violently attacking staff who tried to stop him.
Davey Brown, from Winch’s Garth, Staplehurst, began his crime spree when the car he was driving hit a stationary vehicle on June 3, 2025. Witnesses said Brown drove at the victim before fleeing through a red light. Shortly after, he arrived at the Sainsbury’s in Station Road, pretending to need a wheelchair with the help of an accomplice. He attempted to hide two crates of beer beneath a jacket and leave the store without paying.
Security footage captured the moment Brown punched a security guard and hurled beer cans and bottles, injuring another employee. Brown fled but was arrested within 30 minutes. During arrest, he verbally abused officers.
Brown pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to robbery, affray, damaging property, common assault, using threatening words, and driving without insurance. On November 6, he was sentenced to three years and one month in prison and banned from driving.
A 17-year-old accomplice was also jailed for six months in a youth offenders’ institute. PC Ricky Strong, investigating the case, said: “Brown is a violent man who endangered the public and attacked staff and police. His custodial sentence ensures he cannot harm anyone else for some time.”
